My teenage son has a lot of issues (anxiety, OCD, possible ADHD)- UPDATE (1 Viewer)

[jobarules]

Is it normal for psychiatrist to recommend medication after talking to someone for 15 minutes only. She said if he's been in therapy for a year and hasnt helped that would be the next step. She also said half the kids she sees are on Lexapro. I honestly wasnt crazy about psych. She was asking my son about viewing porn and telling us about other patients.

The viewing porn question is a huge red flag to me. Nearly every teenage boy views porn. The fact that she would ask seems really odd to me.

My son only did once because his friend told him and he thought it was weird. Hes not doing stuff yet. The psych asked him if he liked boys and he said no. The psych asked if he liked girls and he said no. Psych said he really hasnt hit full puberty yet and thus doesnt have those desires yet.

 

[jobarules]

Not only would I suggest a different therapist, but I'd probably go a step further and consult your doctor and even a psychiatrist. At least here in Cali, I would not trust a regular ol' "therapist" to make any kind of these diagnoses.

I'm sure we will be going through something similar with my son. Heck, we already have to get him occupational therapy for food aversion. He has an IEP as well.

Took him to a psychiatrist. She interviewed him for about 15 minutes and said he had OCD, anxiety, and mild depression and recommended 5mg of Lexapro. She also said they offer ADHD test which isn't covered by insurance ($300).

BTW his OCD centers around a fear of growing up. He doesn't want to grow, his voice to change, hit puberty, etc.

Said we'd think about it. I'm still hesitant on medication. My wife wants to put him on it. I was thinking second opinion. One thing for sure, the therapy hasn't been working. My son does NOT want to take medication (I know ultimately we decide but we'd like him to be on board).

According to Dr. Google, your son was prescribed half the normal dose of Lexapro. That implies to me that your son's psychiatrist is starting low on the meds, which I would take as a very tentative good sign. I imagine that's SOP though.

You know this, but it is completely normal for kids to be worried about puberty. For some reason, we have collectively forgotten that fact recently.

If it were me personally and this were my kid -- it's not me and it's not my kid -- I would go ahead and start the Lexapro and also seek a second opinion. I don't know that these need to be mutually exclusive, and you can always discontinue the meds if the next person advises against them. In the meantime, I'd try it and see if it helps. Good luck regardless.

We are now in process of getting a second opinion as well as calling a CBT place.

My son was recording his voice on his iPad everyday to see if it changed. My son measures himself constantly and flips out when he grows a small amount. My son refuses to wear the size 9.5 sneakers that would fit him instead choosing to wear the beaten up size 9s that fit him perfectly. These things are not normal.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

She said if he's been in therapy for a year and hasnt helped

There's more than one kind of therapy. This isn't necessarily true.

I wonder if these guys could help you find a good treatment plan. They are focused on adults, but perhaps they have a child-focused group.

 

[NewlyRetired]

My son was recording his voice on his iPad everyday to see if it changed. My son measures himself constantly and flips out when he grows a small amount. My son refuses to wear the size 9.5 sneakers that would fit him instead choosing to wear the beaten up size 9s that fit him perfectly. These things are not normal.

This sounds a little like Gerascophobia. Have you investigated that in case you see something similar in your son?

 

[jobarules]

My son was recording his voice on his iPad everyday to see if it changed. My son measures himself constantly and flips out when he grows a small amount. My son refuses to wear the size 9.5 sneakers that would fit him instead choosing to wear the beaten up size 9s that fit him perfectly. These things are not normal.

This sounds a little like Gerascophobia. Have you investigated that in case you see something similar in your son?

Yeah this sounds like what my son fears but nobody ever used this term. They just said ocd (basically obsessive fears if growing up). I don't think it really matter regarding treatment though.

 

[fatness]

We are now in process of getting a second opinion as well as calling a CBT place.

Good, you're being a good dad.

As for the medication advice, you can either start it now or not, but perhaps it's better to wait until you have the second opinion. If both docs agree then that may make it easier to get your son on board with the medication. If they don't agree then it falls to you and mom to make the best educated guess you can make for your son. So much of it is guesswork, so the more informed you are the better guesses you both will make.

Sadly doctor's appointments are allotted in 20 or 25 minute increments these days, so the 15 minute with the psychiatrist doesn't surprise me but definitely isn't adequate. Nobody can get to know anybody well enough to responsibly prescribe medication for them in 15 minutes. Don't blame the doc, blame the practice they're part of and the health insurance who pays them for the shortness of the visit. When I was in high school (late 1960's) my parents were baffled about why I smoked cigarettes, and they had to keep punishing me for it. So they took me to a psychiatrist. Visits were an hour long, once a week, and the doc actually got a good pic of who I was and why I did what I did. Now, 55 years later, your son is limited to a 15 minute assessment, and that's not adequate and sucks ***. So good on you for getting the second opinion and talking to the CBT place. Best of luck

 

[metoo]

He sounds exactly like me as a kid. My best suggestion would be to look for and support things he’s interested in. Everything else he prolly can’t be bothered with.

This. I sucked at English but loved math and science. I failed the 10 grade because I refused to do my literature work.

Don’t stop fighting for your child. I didn’t get diagnosed with depression and anxiety until I was 49. And only after my life fell apart and I put my hands on healthcare workers. They put me on some psychotic drugs and it didn’t end well for them.

Please get this addressed now.

 

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[Kanil]

Said we'd think about it. I'm still hesitant on medication. My wife wants to put him on it. I was thinking second opinion. One thing for sure, the therapy hasn't been working. My son does NOT want to take medication (I know ultimately we decide but we'd like him to be on board).

I want to preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I'm not judging you, and have gone through (and am going through) a similar process with my son.

I agree with getting a second opinion but also wanted to say if the second doc suggests it as well, I'd absolutely get on the Lexipro ASAP. There's always been a stigma around medication for the brain that just isn't there with any other illness. It took me a long time to come around to the fact that if the doctor told me my kid's kidney, liver, heart, foot, or ear wasn't working right and that pill X could help, I'd try it in a heartbeat. While at the same time feeling fairly heavily opposed to a doctor telling me this could help my kid's anxiety/adhd because it was related to the brain.

I'm really sorry your son (and you guys) are having to go through this. Thoughts are with you all.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Said we'd think about it. I'm still hesitant on medication. My wife wants to put him on it. I was thinking second opinion. One thing for sure, the therapy hasn't been working. My son does NOT want to take medication (I know ultimately we decide but we'd like him to be on board).

I want to preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I'm not judging you, and have gone through (and am going through) a similar process with my son.

I agree with getting a second opinion but also wanted to say if the second doc suggests it as well, I'd absolutely get on the Lexipro ASAP. There's always been a stigma around medication for the brain that just isn't there with any other illness. It took me a long time to come around to the fact that if the doctor told me my kid's kidney, liver, heart, foot, or ear wasn't working right and that pill X could help, I'd try it in a heartbeat. While at the same time feeling fairly heavily opposed to a doctor telling me this could help my kid's anxiety/adhd because it was related to the brain.

I'm really sorry your son (and you guys) are having to go through this. Thoughts are with you all.

Great post @Kanil

I think this fear people have is rooted in something real. Our society's medical knowledge of kidney, liver, heart, foot, ear etc, is phenomenal. But the brain continues to be an area where medical science still has a long long long way to go to catch up to the knowledge level it has of other parts of the human body.

 

[Kanil]

Said we'd think about it. I'm still hesitant on medication. My wife wants to put him on it. I was thinking second opinion. One thing for sure, the therapy hasn't been working. My son does NOT want to take medication (I know ultimately we decide but we'd like him to be on board).

I want to preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I'm not judging you, and have gone through (and am going through) a similar process with my son.

I agree with getting a second opinion but also wanted to say if the second doc suggests it as well, I'd absolutely get on the Lexipro ASAP. There's always been a stigma around medication for the brain that just isn't there with any other illness. It took me a long time to come around to the fact that if the doctor told me my kid's kidney, liver, heart, foot, or ear wasn't working right and that pill X could help, I'd try it in a heartbeat. While at the same time feeling fairly heavily opposed to a doctor telling me this could help my kid's anxiety/adhd because it was related to the brain.

I'm really sorry your son (and you guys) are having to go through this. Thoughts are with you all.

Great post @Kanil

I think this fear people have is rooted in something real. Our society's medical knowledge of kidney, liver, heart, foot, ear etc, is phenomenal. But the brain continues to be an area where medical science still has a long long long way to go to catch up to the knowledge level it has of other parts of the human body.

Agreed there. Although the biggest factor in my hesitation was more, "if I change how his brain works, is he still going to be the same awesome child?". And that's a hard question to answer. There was also some concern around messing with the chemicals in this brain that's still developing and how that could affect long term. Definitely not something to be taken lightly and things to talk about with your doctor. And if you don't get an answer that makes you feel like your doctor knows wtf they're talking about (because they're human too and no one knows about everything), then keep trying different doctors until you find one that is able to explain the pros and cons to you in a way that makes you feel like you're making an informed decision.